Chapter 6
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This morning, Tsubaki and I ate the breakfast she prepared in silence.
After the meal, Tsubaki, as usual, spread out her workbooks and reference materials on the table and started studying.
Occasionally glancing at her while fiddling with my smartphone, I saw that she was continuing her studies without changing her expression.
…It seemed like she had no interest in anything other than studying.
Even so, she enjoyed the movie yesterday, so maybe she was forcing herself. Though perhaps it’s not something I need to worry about…
――Buzz
Suddenly, my smartphone gave a short vibration.
The screen displayed a message from Mishima.
“Good morning! I don’t mind if you make up for yesterday today! I’m on summer vacation for a while!”
…Summer vacation, huh. I have work tomorrow, so she’s as one-sided as ever.
For now, I’ll pretend I didn’t see it since the notification screen won’t mark it as read.
As I averted my gaze from the screen, I saw Mayuko’s urn.
…The summer vacation I spent with Mayuko as a lover only happened once. We went out quite often, fitting it in between studying and part-time jobs. Although we never made it to the place we were really looking forward to.
A bright blue sky.
A field full of blooming sunflowers.
Her laughing amidst them.
That should have been the best summer memory.
But the summer that actually stuck in my memory…
Dark clouds.
Heavy rain.
Lightning.
Her, crying and cursing at me.
I never wanted memories like that…
Before I knew it, I found myself staring at the urn in the corner of the room.
…Dwelling on the past only wastes time.
As I turned my eyes away from the urn, I saw Tsubaki. She was studying with the same expressionless face as always.
After watching her for a while, Tsubaki noticed my gaze, looked up, and slightly tilted her head.
“…Is something wrong?”
Looking more closely, her facial features were indeed similar.
But somehow, she also reminded me of that man… Is it because she’s always wearing a white polo shirt and a navy skirt?
That man also wore a white shirt and navy pants almost every day…
“Um… Kawakami-san?”
“…Shall we go buy some clothes today?”
Just like yesterday, unexpected words slipped out of my mouth. Naturally, Tsubaki furrowed her brows in confusion.
“Why?”
“Well…”
When I averted my eyes, I saw Mayuko’s urn.
I couldn’t stand that someone who resembled Mayuko dressed in a way that reminded me of that man.
If I said something so honest, it would only confuse her more.
“…You’ve been helping with the housework lately, so I thought I’d thank you by buying you some clothes.”
“I see.”
“Is that unnecessary?”
“No, not at all…”
“Alright. Then let’s go out after lunch.”
“…I understand. Thank you.”
Tsubaki bowed deeply with a solemn expression.
My excuse was flimsy, but she seemed to accept it.
After that, Tsubaki returned to her study materials and resumed studying. It would be bad to keep staring at her.
When I turned away, Mayuko’s silent urn came into view.